Letter Writing:

Reading and Thoughtfully

Corresponding

Objectives

To teach students to read letters or letter

requests carefully before responding.

To teach students the importance of

creating formal and informal documents.

To teach students basic letter formats

and letter-writing strategies.

To teach students letter-writing etiquette.

Definition of Letter
Letter
A written or printed communication directed to
a person or organization.

Letters may be created and sent as:

E-mail or electronic transmissions (including faxsimiles)

Hand-delivered transmissions
Regular mail transmissions

Letter Writing
Etiquette
Etiquette is good manners or appropriate or accepted social
practices that reflect and promote civility.
When should you write a letter?
To

thank someone who has been gracious, kind or helpful to

you.

When

you need assistance or answers to help you make

intelligent decisions.
To

respond to a letter or letter request that you have

recently received. (do not wait too long)

To create legal documents that record information and support

claims.

To show that you are a courteous, professional, detail-

Why letter writing

matters
A writer, writing away, can always fix himself
up to make himself more presentable, but a
man who has written a letter is stuck with it
for all time.
E. B. White

Therefore . . .

Letters should be truthful as they may become a

permanent record of what you know, think or feel at
the time you are writing the letter.

Letters have come back to haunt many people.

Letters reflect the character and communication skill

of the writer.

Before writing a
letter . . .

Read (1) the letter or letters to which you need or want to

respond; or (2) read a written announcement or article
motivating or requesting a letter response.
(News stories, displays and billboards, and even oral comments
that others have voiced may spark your passion to write a letter.
Listening, is therefore important to letter writers.)

Examine the tone (language) of the letter, announcement

or other printed material to which you will respond. The
tone of the motivating piece helps you determine the tone
of your written response (formal or informal).

Identify your audience and purpose in order to determine

the type of letter you will write (formal or informal).

Think about / Plan your response.

Letter Mechanics
1. Pronoun (Point of View)

The use of personal pronouns is

important in letters . . . I, he, she, it, we,
they, you

In a letter, do not refer to yourself in the

third person by using one or the writer.

It is perfectly natural and appropriate to

refer to yourself as I and to the reader
as you.

Letter Mechanics
2. Focus and Specificity

Be Focused; however, avoid choppy

sentences.

Don't be so concise that your tone is

blunt.

Use terminology and concepts related to

the industry / field. (Jargon may be
appropriate in business writing. )

Avoid vagueness. Be specific in your

requests or statements of facts.

Letter Mechanics
3. Active versus Passive
Voice

Examples

PASSIVE Sentence : It was discovered that the

salary totals were incorrect.
Who discovered it [the problem]? The
underpaid employee, The payroll specialist,
The Accounting Department, An Intern, The
IRS? (Be specific.)
Revised ACTIVE sentence: The Accounting
Department discovered that the salary totals
were incorrect.

Two categories of
letters

Business Letters (format writing; more

formal writing that may share elements of
essay writing)

Personal Letters (often informal; may be

addressed to a friend or familiar
acquaintance about a personal subject; may
regard a personal problem, issue or even a
personal business matter pertaining to ones
personal finances or personal legal matters)

Types of Personal
Letters

Apologies
Appreciation and Thank You:
For favors, kindness or gene
rosity
Congratulations
Personal Complaints
Invitations
Offering Condolences
(sympathy or get well)

Personal Letters . . .
whether typed or handwritten, may include personal
touches that reflect your style or personality.
Salutatio
n
(Greeting)

Date

Special
stationery

December 4, 2007

Dear Maxwell,

Signatur
e

I just wanted to take a moment to write to you

to express my thanks for the extra tutoring
help you gave me this fall as I struggled in my
Math 1112 course. People like youmake our
world a better place simplybecause you
takethe extra time to help others overcome
fears and learn important skills.I think I can
safely say, you are going to make a great math
teacher one Complimentar
day!
y Closing

You stand head and shoulders above othersin

Guidelines
for Writing
Write as soon as possible after the incident.
Apologies:
Apologize, but do not go overboard by saying, "I am very,
very, very
sorry."
Keep it simple and to the point. Summarize what you are
apologizing
for, and apologize only for the particular situation or problem.
Be
brief.
Apologize cheerfully and sincerely. Do not express feelings of
guilt.
Explain what you will do to correct the mistake or situation.
Do not put blame on another person and do not blame
problems on

Sample Complaint
Letter
mm/dd/yyyy
To Betty Grimes,
I am writing to inform you that your daughter, Sarah, broke the front passenger
window of my Ford Taurus while playing softball yesterday afternoon. The car is
brand new. Hopefully, your homeowner's insurance will cover this kind of damage.
Please check with them to see if it is covered. If they will not pay for it, I will get
two repair estimates for you so that you can determine how you will pay for the
repair.
Perhaps we could meet this Saturday afternoon to discuss our options. You can
reach me at (202) 555-1098. Thank you for your timely attention to this matter.
Thank you,
Rita Green
Rita Green
124 Huckabee
Littletown, AL 34567

When to Write a Personal Thank

You, congratulations or
Appreciation Letters
To thank or show gratitude for:
Gift
Group efforts
Introduction to other people
Invitations to speak
Helpful advice or suggestions
Personal favors
Recommendations for position or awards
References
Sympathy
Volunteers
Graduations

Guidelines for writing personal

appreciation / thank you
letters:
State what you appreciate and briefly explain why.

Do not add other news or information not related to the

appreciative gesture
Be brief, warm, and sincere. (Two to three lines should suffice.)
Example:
Thank you for the character reference you provided to Troy
University on my behalf. I truly appreciate your willingness to
provide the reference, as well as your time and attention to
completing it. Again, thank you, and best wishes. Tina
Applicant

Postcards may be used for short notes. Personal notes should be

handwritten.

Writing an Invitation

(Formal (Business) or Informal

Events)
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Raphael-Leon
cordially invite you to a reception
celebrating the engagement of

Identify the host

and type of
event.

Mary Jane Raphael-LeoneIdentify guests of

Identify date/time/ & Robert Wilson Yates
honor (if
location of event.

applicable).
to be held Sunday, the sixth of June, in the
year two thousand and eight, at
six o'clock in the evening at
Pierre's Cafe
800 23rd Street NW
Washington, DC.

Semi-formal dress
RSVP (202) 555-6908 yourself and one guest. Thank you.

.
al) ho
n
w
tio
op now to
(
s
k
res P to ests
d
u
y
V
cif t RS ny g .
e
Sp ues
ma pect
w
q
ex
Re & h o

Practice Exercise
Personal letter (choose
two)

Write a thank you letter/note card to

someone who has recently helped you

write a congratulatory letter/note to

someone who has recently achieved
an outstanding honor.

Design an invitation to an event you

will host December 22, 2014.

Practice Exercise

Create an invitation or personal letter/note. See

handout.

Business Letters
Business letters are documents created to:
o

persuade or inform readers (Ex: a letter from a

candidate requesting your vote)

analyze a concept or situation (Ex: a letter from

the human resources manager explaining the
new payroll deposit system to company
employees)

propose a solution (a letter offering a plan to

reduce or prevent school violence)

correct some perceived error or

miscommunication. (Ex: a letter to a creditor
about a billing error you have noticed)

Business Letters
Format Writing

Common Types of
Business
Letters
Acceptance Letter (yes/
legal)
To write any type of
Acknowledgement Letter
(Receipt)
Adjustment Letter (a legal
document / addresses a
complaint
or claim)
Application Letter (request job
consideration/ interview)

Complaint Letter (a legal

document)
Cover Letter (accompanies
resume

or order)

Inquiry Letter (posing a

question)
Order Letter (request letter)
Refusal Letter (reject an offer)
Response Letter (answers
inquiry)
/

business letter,
follow these basic
steps:

Identify your reader

Establish your objective
Determine your scope
(how much researched
information to include )
Organize your letter
Draft your letter
Close (End) Your Letter
Review and Revise Your Lett
er
(proof for physical problems
and edit for logic issues)

General Parts of every

Business Letter

Heading (senders return address and

date)
Inside Address (recipients address)
Salutation (greeting)
Body (paragraphs)
Complimentary Close
Signature Line (with or without title)
Enclosure (optional)
cc notation (copies sent to others)
Sender/typist initials (optional)

General Statements
about Business Letter
Business letters [are] required in many
Writing
different situations . . . from applying for a job

to requesting or delivering information.

Writing for business should be crisp and

succinct. It should be to the point, specific
and accurate.

Even though business writing is possibly less

formal than it once was, your writing must . . .
adhere to the conventions of standard
American English (spelling and grammar
rules)
Source: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html

General Letter Layouts /

Styles
Modified Block Style Block Style

Semi-block Style

http://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000144.htm

Letter head

1. Block
Style
(Simplified)

Letter
Format
SAMPLE
Everything flush
to left margin
with no indents.
Signature Block: Align this with the
Complimentary Close. Leave four blank lines
to sign your name. Dont forget to sign your
name exactly as you typed it. Your title is
optional and depends on the relevancy and
degree of formality you need or want to
establish.
Source:http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/letters/l/bl_mblock_p.h

2. Modified
Block Style
Letter
Format
SAMPLE
Paragraphs are
not indented;
however, these
parts of the
letter are
centered:
Senders return
address
Date letter written
Complimentary

http://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000144.htm

Company Logo or Letterhead

March 15, 2007
Mr. John Smith, Director of Operations
SomeGroup Group
100 SomeStreet Drive
Sometown, Alabama 34567

3. Semi-block
Style Letter
Format
SAMPLE

Dear Mr. Smith:

Thank you for your inquiry about Semi-Block format for letters. What
follows is a quick summary of the format and the conventions it uses.
Semi-block format or style is frequently called modified semi-block
because it is a slightly less formal modification of full block format. This letter
style places the date line in alignment with, or slightly to the right of dead
center. Another option for placing the date line in semi-block is flush right.
Similar to full block, semi-block places the inside address, salutation and any
end notations flush with the left margin. However, unlike full block, each body
paragraph of semi-block is indented five spaces. The complimentary close
and signature block are aligned under the date.
This page illustrates the spacing and layout of semi-block format. Both full
block and semi-block formats generally contain all of the necessary parts of a
letter.
Sincerely yours ,
Dr. Sheila Carter-Todd

Indent paragraphs
5 spaces.
Everything else is
flush at the left
margin.

Business Letter
Salutation /
Greeting

A Business letters text starts with a simple

and professional greeting such as,
The Word Dear, Mr./Ms./Title, & Last name of Person:

Examples
Dear Dr. Smithsonian:
Dear Ms. Cleopatra:

The difference between personal and business

letter greetings is that a colon (:) follows the
greeting of a business letter and a comma (,)
follows the greeting of a personal letter

Body

A generally acceptable format for the

body of most business letters is block
style, with no indentions or
centering of any parts.

Paragraphs should also be single

spaced within the paragraph and
double spaced between different
paragraphs.

Business Letter
Content

Each paragraph in the business letter should

contain different topics.

The first paragraph should grab attention and

state the reason for the letter.

The middle paragraphs, as in most letters,

should support your reason and go into details.

In the final paragraph, it professional etiquette

for the writer to thank the reader for taking his
or her time to read the letter.

Closing

The end of a business letter marks the

biggest difference between business
and personal letters.

The ending of a business letter usually

states Sincerely, followed by three
blank lines for the writers signature
and then
the writers typed name.

Letter-writing Practice Exercise:

Response letter

Behave as if you have just received the

Letter of Application in the next slide.

You must notify the person that he or she

did not get the job and that your
company has recently filled the
advertised position.

Write a one-paragraph letter to the

applicant. (See upcoming slide for a
suggested approach to writing the letter.)

Read this Sample Business Letter (Letter of Application) below.

Senders Return address
Inside address
(receiver)

Taylor, Inc.
Mr./Ms. S. Student, Human Resources Director
694 Rockfoot Lane
Durham, North Carolina 27708
Dear Mr./Ms. Student:

6123 Farrington Road

Troy, Alabama 27514
January 11, 2007

This letter is written in Modified Block

Style. Indent the senders address, letter
date, complimentary close, & signature.
Everything else is flush to the left margin.
Single Space throughout, except double
Space between new paragraphs. Center
letter on the page.

I just read an article in the News and Observer about Taylor's new computer center just north of Durham. I
would like to apply for a position as an entry-level programmer at the center.
I understand that Taylor produces both in-house and customer documentation. My technical-writing skills, as
described in the enclosed resume, are well suited to your company. I am a recent graduate of Troy University
in Troy, Alabama, with an Associate's Degree in Computer Science. In addition to having taken a broad range
of courses, I served as a computer consultant at the college's computer center where I helped train computer
users on new systems.
I will be happy to meet with you at your convenience and discuss how my education and experience match
your needs. You can reach me at my home address, at (919) 233-1552, or at crock@devry.alumni.edu.
Complimentary Closing

Sincerely,
ature
n
g
i
S
Raymond Graduate Senders

Suggestions for
Responding

Reminder to supply address information.

Include salutation.
Acknowledge receipt of the application
package.
Thank the applicant for his interest.
Notify the applicant that the position
has been filled.
Let the applicant know that you will
keep the application packet on file.

The END . . .

Please return your evaluation form

to SSS staf when you are done.

SSS hopes this presentation has

given you some useful information.

Have a great learning

experience here at Troy University.